Panaji, Jan 27 (IANS): More than 54,000 trees have been cut for the upcoming Mopa greenfield airport whose first phase is expected to be completed by 2022, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.

He told the Assembly in a written reply tabled on Wednesday that nearly 20 per cent of the work had been completed till date. The airport is located on the Mopa plateau in North Goa.

"Mopa airport's construction is in progress. The first phase is expected to be commissioned in 2022. The physical progress up to December 12, 2020, is 19.59 per cent," Sawant said.

"The number of trees cut at the airport site is 54,176, and the number of trees transplanted is 500," he added.

The first phase was scheduled to be commissioned by September 3, 2020, but delayed due to environmental litigation in the Supreme Court by green activists, who alleged the illegal felling of trees at the site. The airport is getting constructed under a joint venture of GMR Airports and the Goa government.

After the completion of the first phase, the airport is expected to cater to 4.5 million passengers. With the completion of fourth phase, its pax handling capacity is expected to be 13 million.